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From the twenties through the fifties, the City of Boca Raton was in large measure known simply as the home of the Boca Raton Resort & Club—a 356 acre facility originally built by Addison Mizner in 1926. The Resort was a destination, in the same category as the Breakers in Palm Beach and the Biltmore in Coral Gables. The town of Boca Raton mostly housed residents who worked or provided services for the club.
Arthur Vining Davis purchased the Resort in 1956—along with over 1000 acres of adjacent land. Mr. Davis is undoubtedly best known as the founder and chairman of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), but he was also a major Florida developer. His company, Arvida (formed from the first two letters of his names), owned close to one eighth of Dade County, 25,000 acres in Broward County as well as property in Palm Beach and other counties.
In 1958, Mr. Davis had a personal need for cash, and decided to sell off part of his estimated 100,000 acres of land holdings in Florida. The first tract selected for development and sale was considered the jewel of the vast Arthur Vining Davis Florida empire—the approximately 450 acres that became the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club.
The site embraced a nationally-known polo field that was a focal point for Palm Beach society, with grandstands and tables for overnight housing of polo ponies. And there was a well-kept nine-hole golf course. It was an area that could not be encroached upon, as it was bounded on the north by the historic Boca Raton Resort & Club, on the east by the intracoastal waterway, on the south by the Hillsboro River and on the west by Federal Highway.
Work on the development commenced in 1959. Arvida imposed stringent architectural and building standards. Utilities were underground. All roofs were to be white. Lot sizes were larger than customary in other comparable developments. Strict owner obligations were established, embodied in the bylaws of the Royal Palm Improvement Association.
Royal Palm originally contained 742 home sites. The first completed home in Royal Palm was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lundsford T. Nuchols of Greenbrier, West Virginia, located at 2148 Silver Palm Road, West. It was reported completed in the January 1960 issue of the Royal Palm Reporter.
The development, taking its name from the stately royal palms lining Camino Real on its northern border, was the first Boca Raton neighborhood with guarded entry gates. Home sites were priced from $10,000 to $45,000 and most fronted either water or the golf course. Even Arvida official expressed surprise when the most expensive lots sold out first. The Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club set a new standard for Boca Raton.
Since 1959, Royal Palm has undergone many changes. The community was originally developed with one-story, Bermuda-style cottages, many of which have been redeveloped into two story homes, with a substantial increase in square feet and other amenities. Some residents have purchased adjacent lots, with the result that we now have fewer homes (688) than when Royal Palm was first completed. | 
